Family is Forever
by BlueBrainProductions
Summary: Since the death of their parents, Altair has taken on the role of caring for his younger brothers Ezio and Desmond. This is a look into their daily lives. Oneshot chapters. DescendentFamilyAU
1. Altair the Comforter

**_Family is Forever _is not a traditional story. It is a collection of oneshots detailing random events in the lives of Altair, Ezio, Connor and Desmond.**

I just love the idea of Altair being the big, protective brother to Desmond and Ezio. The fluff is almost too much to handle!

And I don't think there is an official name for this alternate universe (Tell me if there is). So I decided to call it the _Descendent FamilyAU._ Yeah, see what I did there? (nudge nudge) haha I've seen too on other stories on here where Altair is around the college age (20ish?), Ezio is about ten and Desmond is a toddler. I had to continue that idea cause it's too awesome not too!

Edit 6/21: Wow! This is more popular than what I thought it would be. So I am going to go back through to fix things that have been bugging me. ;)

**Rated: K+**

Disclaimer: _Assassin's Creed_ to Ubisoft

Enjoy!

* * *

The sound of small footsteps coming towards the living room caught Altair's attention vaguely. However, the sound of sniffling had him sitting up quickly on the couch and looking for the source of the noise. Desmond stood in the doorway, blanket in one hand and the other wiping his eyes.

"What's wrong, Des?"

Desmond sniffled again and replied, "Bad dweam."

Sighing lightly, Altair stood and went to pick up his younger brother. He was slightly agitated that Desmond was awake at eleven at night, but he was also happy that nothing more serious was wrong. A few weeks before, this had happened and it was because Des had a horrible fever. Altair had never felt more helpless while he had to watch his brother suffer through the bad cold. He was ecstatic when the boy's fever broke.

Once he was up in those arms, the almost three year old buried his face into the elder's neck. Altair sat back down on the couch as Malik was coming out of the kitchen.

'_What?'_ the one armed man mouthed.

'_Nightmare,'_ was the silent reply.

Malik nodded as he took his seat next to his friend. The television was playing a DVD movie, but it had been previously paused when Malik had to make a trip to the kitchen. Now Altair turned the television over to the nature channel. The movie was not exactly toddler material.

Desmond peeked out to look at Malik then reburied his face again. His sniffling had finally stopped and now he simply lay against Altair's chest. The two older males continued to watch the television in silence. The show was some kind of documentary about the Amazon. It was boring beyond compare. Altair splayed his hand across Desmond's back, gently rubbing in circles to calm him down. It seemed to work after a while because he was getting more and more relaxed. Listening to Altair's steady heartbeat, feeling his chest move with each breath taken and the soothing massage eventually became too much for the boy to handle. He fell asleep feeling very safe and secure.

The older brother knew instantly when the boy was out. He checked to make sure before standing again. He took Desmond back to bed, which happened to be his own since the other bedroom was taken over by Ezio. The two year old did not stir when Altair tucked him into the master bed. Desmond simply held on to his blanket tighter and popped his thumb into his mouth.

"Night, Des." Altair ran his fingers through the boy's hair, then kissed the top of his head before leaving the room. He left the door slightly open to let in some light from the living room.

He checked on his other younger brother, Ezio, next in the room directly across from his. The ten year old was laying spread eagle on his bed. Drool dribbled out of his wide open mouth and was soaking the sheets under his head. Light snores filled the room. Altair chuckled, shaking his head. He closed the door and went back to the living room.

"The tyke asleep?" Malik asked as soon as Altair had reentered the room.

"Yeah."

"Perfect," Malik said, picking up the remote, "Now we can return to our regular programming of R rated death and destruction."

"Great."

"Duh."


	2. The Raspberry Monster

I decided to put all of the oneshots under one title just to make it easier to read. I also went back through 'Altair the Comforter' and fixed a bunch of stuff that was bugging me. :3

And Happy (late) Independence Day to all my American readers! Hope the fireworks and parties were awesome!

* * *

The moans and screams of rage made Altair chuckle happily. Sometimes the gods were in his favor when he wanted to irritate his younger brother and cousin.

"Altair!"

"The power went out Ezio! It's the storm's fault not mine!" The man yelled back. "You should have been off the Xb*x an hour ago anyways!"

Ezio and seven year old Connor groaned again in response. It was nearly ten at night and the weather had been horrible all day even though the news report only called for a thirty percent chance. Altair had planned to take the boys out to let them run around the local park, but of course that idea was shot. The older brother was not too keen on cleaning three muddy rage monsters. Speaking of which, one little rage monster was running into the master bedroom at that moment.

"A'tair! A'tair! Where?" Desmond asked from the doorway.

Holding up his cell phone as a mini-flashlight, Altair could see his brother was clutching his blanket tightly in both arms. Desmond jumped onto the bed as soon as he saw the light. He climbed into Altair's lap and grabbed onto his arm.

"It's alright, Des." Altair ruffled the younger's hair. "It's just a storm."

A bright flash of lightning lit up the entire apartment suddenly. There was a short pause and then the loud crack of thunder shook the room. Desmond shrieked in fear, throwing his arms around Altair's neck. Two pairs of feet thundered toward the room. Connor and Ezio stumbled in and jumped onto the bed. The movement of the bed had everyone jumping into the air a bit.

"It's just a storm," Altair repeated while he rolled his eyes.

"We weren't scared!" Ezio got up on his knees as if to show he was brave. "We wanted to make sure Desmond was okay."

Another crack of thunder had the boy diving under the covers. Altair laughed at that. He moved to lean against the headboard of his bed. Desmond lay against his chest like he usually did when he wanted comfort.

"C-can we stay in here tonight?" Connor asked quietly.

Altair rolled his eyes again in the darkness. "Fine," he relented. "But everyone will have to go to sleep. We can't stay up all night."

The boys groaned at the thought of going to sleep, but they rolled off the bed and ran from the room anyway.

"Grab the big blankets from the closet, Ezio!" Altair called as he rose from the bed, with Desmond in his arms still. He grabbed a clean set of jammies and a new pull-up from the dresser. The toddler whined slightly when he was set on the bed.

"We have to put your jammies on, Des. Now arms up," the elder brother ordered.

Through the darkness he could see that Desmond had done as he was told. Altair pulled the shirt off, throwing it somewhere over his shoulder, then quickly leaned forward and blew a raspberry on the pudgy stomach. Desmond squealed with giggles, threading his fingers into Altair's brown hair.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Desmond shrieked over and over.

Altair pulled away to catch a breath. "Why?" he asked with a grin on his face.

"Tickles!" the boy answered through his giggles.

"What does? This?" Altair blew another raspberry and was pleased when Desmond laughed hysterically again.

"Ezi! Ezi!"

The brother being called for and Connor ran into the room when they heard the screams. Both dropped the large blankets on the floor and jumped onto Altair's back.

"Slay the monster before he eats the baby in distress!" Ezio let out a battle cry as he latched onto his older brother's torso.

Altair roared loudly, amazingly at the same time as there was a flash of lightening, straightening until he was standing. Connor tried to yank the older man back down to the ground, but Altair grabbed him around the waist and lifted him with one arm. The cousin was only able to wrap his arms around a thigh.

"I got him!" Connor yelled, "Take the shot, Ezio!"

The middle child let out another battle cry and hit Altair on the back with the palm of his hand in a stabbing motion. In order to keep up appearances, Altair gagged as if he was choking on blood. After dropping Connor, he fell face first onto the bed and was still. Ezio immediately climbed onto his back in a show of manly victory.

"The monster is dead!"

"Yey!" Desmond clapped happily. Altair needed to remember to not let the boy watch when he played violent videogames.

The room fell silent then as the boys waited for Altair to do something. Ezio poked the back of his brother's neck multiple times out of boredom. Another minute or so passed with only the sounds of the storm in the background. Ezio poked him again.

"Altair?"

"Did you really kill him?"

"No!" Ezio defended, but he still sounded unsure. "At least… I'm sure I didn't."

Suddenly, Altair moved to sit up on his knees. Both Desmond and Connor shrieked in surprise as the monster moved. Ezio, of course, was laughing hysterically while he rolled off the larger man.

"I knew he wasn't dead!" he cried, getting up to hug Altair.

Desmond was next to crawl over to his brothers. He sat himself on the older's lap again. The eldest held his brothers tightly as he realized he had not given them a proper hug that day.

"Come here, Connor." Altair extended his hand out into the dark towards the small silhouette.

The cousin joined the group hug in an instant. Altair would never admit it, but he liked it during times like these. For a few moments, it felt as though everything was like when their parents were still alive. Mom would always hug and kiss her children throughout the day. She always said that hugs were one of the greatest things a person could give another. The Ibn-La'Ahads were known to have loved their children unconditionally. Altair missed them terribly and he knew Ezio did also. Desmond understood that they used to have parents (Altair made sure to have pictures everywhere of them), but he obviously did not understand the concept of death. Sometimes the boy questioned where Mama and Baba were. Every time the question comes up, Altair feels so depressed after trying to explain. Desmond was only about seven months old when the accident happened.

Desmond squirmed in Altair's lap. "Cold. Cold," he said, knocking his fist on the older's chest.

"Alright, hugging moment over." Altair playfully shoved Ezio and Connor away. "Time for bed."

The boys rolled off the bed to set up their own on the floor. Altair opened his cellphone to get some light into the room. The storm was already starting to dwindle and the lightening was flashing less. He put the shirt on Desmond, then changed the toddler's pull-up and got him into pants. Desmond was yawning by the time he was able to lay down.

"Night, guys." Altair closed his phone and the room went to darkness again.

"Good night." "Night, Altair."

After settling under the covers, Desmond snuggled into his side like every night. Altair stayed awake for another few minutes listening to the rain and thinking about what he had to do the next day. Eventually, he could not stay awake any longer and he too fell into much needed sleep.

* * *

Does Altair seem OOC to you? Because he seems really OOC to me. I think I will have to fix that in the next chapters because I miss the cocky arrogant-ass Altair. Malik would be really bored if he did not have to keep his friend in line all of the time. :D


	3. A Breakfast Affair

Hooray for a new chapter! :D Thanks to QueensGambit for the idea!

* * *

Altair woke with a start. He lay there in bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, trying to recall what had drawn him from his sleep. The entire room was calm as none of the boys had woken yet. Desmond was tucked securely into the elder brother's side. His head lay comfortably on Altair's chest and one tiny hand had grabbed a bunch of t-shirt like he was holding his blanket. This was usually how they woke up in the morning.

For a few minutes, the young man just lay there with nothing much going on in his mind. He was just enjoying the peace and quiet. It was then that realization hit him. The storm from the night before had moved on. It was still somewhat dark outside, as there was no sunlight trickling in through the shades, so Altair assumed it was overcast. That did not matter to him though. He was feeling too lazy to do anything really productive that day anyways.

His bedside lamp suddenly flickered on and the television in the next room could be heard. Altair grinned happily. The day was starting out great. He sat up slowly, holding Desmond in his arms. Once he was sitting, he gently lay his youngest brother back on his pillow. Desmond whimpered slightly in his sleep at the loss of warmth, but quieted as soon as the comforter was placed over him.

One obstacle down and two more to go.

Ezio and Connor were sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed. The two of them took up the entire area between the bed and the wall. Altair knew that he would have to try to step over them to get to the door because any more movement on the bed would wake Desmond. He carefully stepped over the boys' heads, placing his foot between their legs. Ezio snorted in his sleep and Altair froze. Thankfully, the middle brother rolled over to face the wall. Letting out the breath he was holding, Altair lifted his other foot over them and quickly escaped out of the room.

Mission accomplished.

He felt very triumphant as he entered the bathroom. Kadar was right when he mentioned once that Altair must have been an assassin in a previous life. Since the power had only just come back on, the water for the shower had not been heated up yet. It was certainly one of Altair's quickest showers. He threw on another t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts that he found in the laundry basket. They did not smell horrible, but he knew he would have to wash everything the next day. Everyone was running out of clean clothes.

When he exited the bathroom he noticed immediately that the television was turned to a different channel. The cartoon about the sponge living in the ocean was playing. Altair stuck his head in the kitchen and groaned at what he found. Ezio and Connor were seated at the table. All four placemats had been set with plates, cups and utensils. The boys grinned cheekily at the man.

"Morning, Altair!" They chirped in unison.

"Let me guess," Altair said, narrowing his eyes. "You brats were already awake when I got up, weren't you?"

"Yep!"

Altair shook his head and finally entered the small kitchen. He ruffled Ezio's hair as he passed by, earning him a noise of disagreement.

"So what do you want for breakfast?" He pulled open the fridge door to look inside.

"Pancakes!" Connor demanded and Ezio high fived him.

"Alright, pancakes it is. You guys can help if you want."

"Awesome! What do you want us to do?" Ezio asked, getting up from his seat.

Altair grabbed all of the ingredients and set them on the counter. "Find the big bowl, the mixer, the large frying pan, the big plastic spoon, a spatula and another plate," he instructed.

The boys immediately split up to find the requested items. Connor did not know his way around the kitchen as well as Ezio so he was only able to find the plate, spoon and spatula. Ezio found the rest and they set everything on the counter by the stove.

"Now what?"

"Grab your chairs and bring them over here. Both of you can help put the ingredients in."

Once they had done that, placing a chair on either side of the older male, Altair grabbed the measuring cup and handed it to Connor.

"Hold the measuring cup over the bowl and I'll pour the mix in it. We need two cups." Altair poured the powdered mix and his cousin tipped the contents into the bowl.

Next, he handed the measuring cup to Ezio's waiting hands. "One cup of milk now." Ezio poured the milk in, then threw the cup into the sink.

"Crack the eggs and make sure no pieces of shell get in." He handed each boy an egg then looked down when he felt something tugging on his pant leg. Desmond raised his arms in the grabbing motion to signal that he wanted to be picked up. The boy was never much of a talker in the morning. Altair picked him up and set the younger on his left hip.

Connor jumped down from his chair to throw away the empty shells while Altair set up the mixer with one hand. He had grown used to doing things with one hand. When Desmond was a baby, Altair never had a moment's peace. The boy constantly had to held and cuddled. If he was not he would throw a fit until he got his way. Sometimes Altair wondered how he survived.

"Keep the setting on low and move the mixer in a circle. Don't-" His cell phone started ringing from its place on the table. He handed the mixer off to the boys and then grabbed his phone. It was Connor's mother.

He put the phone against his ear. "Hello?"

Connor's parents had been on vacation for a week and a half so far. They were in London for two weeks. It was their ten year wedding anniversary and Connor's father wanted to show his family where he grew up. It was supposed to be a special vacation for all three members of the family, but when it came time for them to leave, Connor had a panic attack on the plane. He was claustrophobic. Altair had taken the family to the airport and was still in the terminal when Connor and his mother got off. After a quick conversation, since the last call for passengers had been announced, it was decided that Connor would stay with the Ibn-La'Ahads. The boy was the one who made the decision final because he did not want to ruin his parent's anniversary. He made his mom promise that they would do something extra special when they came back though.

"Hey, it's your mom." Altair held out the phone to the seven year old.

A large and bright smile burst onto the boy's face. He let go of the mixer and jumped off of the chair. As he did, his left arm knocked against Ezio's. Everything went into slow motion right then for Altair. He saw Ezio accidently hit the high speed button on the mixer and then he pulled the machine out of the bowl in surprise. Pancake mix sprayed everywhere and covered everyone. Ezio dropped the still running mixer with a yelp.

"Ezio! Grab it!" Altair dropped his phone and jumped forward. He yanked the power cord from the wall, effectively ending the chaos.

The room fell into complete silence. Everyone was staring at each other in shock. Connor's mother was calling his name over the phone and finally her son picked up the cell.

"We… had an accident," he muttered to her in awe.

"Uh oh!" Desmond slapped his hands against his cheeks, splattering even more pancake mix on Altair's face.

"Ezio…" Altair growled lowly.

His tone of voice was nothing new to the ten year old. It was only ever used when someone was in big trouble. Ezio gulped and wanted to run away right then. In fact, he was looking for an available escape route anyway. Unfortunately there was none as his older brother was both larger and faster.

Ezio stepped off of the chair and gulped loudly. "It-It was an accident! I'm s-sorry, Altair!"

The tension in the room was thick. Even Desmond knew everything was not alright. He whimpered quietly when Altair set him on the counter. Large crocodile tears were shining in Ezio's eyes, but they did not fall. He backed against the counter as a last defense to protect his backside.

Altair crooked his finger. "Come here," he said. "And turn around."

Gulping again, the middle sibling did as he was told. "I'm _really_ sorry, Altair."

"It doesn't matter." Altair picked up the bowl of pancake mix and the spoon. "If you make a mess…"

He scooped out a large spoonful of mix and poured it all over Ezio's head. "You get messier."

Ezio spun around to stare up at his brother in shock. Next to them, Connor was howling with laughter. His mother was trying to get his attention over the phone again. She seemed to be very frustrated. Altair turned to the seven year old and poured a spoonful on him. It did not faze him though and he continued to laugh.

"Me! Me!" Desmond threw his arms in the air.

Altair tipped the entire bowl over the youngest boy's head. Shrieking with giggles, Desmond grabbed the bowl and pulled it out of Altair's grasp to set it on his head like a hat.

"So…" Altair returned his gaze to an unsure Ezio. "I'm not in trouble?"

The older man grinned. "Nah… But now you _have _to get a shower. No exceptions."

Laughter filled the small apartment for hours after that.

* * *

Got really lazy with my editing. I'm tired and I blah blah excuses blah blah blah watching Olympics blah. So yeah! I have great reasons for being lazy. XD

Next chapter should be up very soon. It is physically written and now must be typed.


	4. Picking Up the Pieces

Everyone had left; even Malik who took Ezio and Desmond with him. Altair watched silently as the last car disappeared around the bend. As soon as it was gone, the man loosened his tie and let out a heavy sigh.

The cemetery was beautiful especially in the late morning sun. Flowers of all kinds were in full bloom, trying to soak up as much of the rays as possible. Altair could not remember a more beautiful day to hold a funeral.

Behind him was the Ibn-La'Ahad family plot. Many generations, dating back to the seventeen hundreds when the Italians immigrated to America, were buried there. Family members of the main line, of which Altair and his brothers were a part of, and those of the extended branches had spots all over the two acre piece of land. Today two new graves were added. They belonged to mister and missus Kenway.

Connor had been completely silent since the day the airport official came to the door. That was a week ago. His parents called on a Thursday and explained that they had decided to come home early. They wanted to spend the rest of their vacation with their only son. The plane took off the same night and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean four hundred miles into the trip. There were no survivors. Altair sat in the kitchen for hours after the official left, dealing with his own sadness and wondering how he would tell his cousin.

He told the boy the next day. Connor was eerily quiet the entire time. When Altair was finished, Connor left and went to lay down in the master bedroom. He barely left the room after that. Ezio was confused and hurt when his best playmate refused to do anything. The boy tried hard for days to get his cousin to come out, but Connor refused every time. Altair had to eventually sit his brother down and explain what had happened. Ezio understood after that. To try to comfort his cousin, he would lie on the bed with him for hours and just talk about everything and nothing.

At the present, Connor was sitting on the grass by his parents' graves. The cemetery employees had already lowered the empty caskets and buried them. Since their bodies had been lost at sea, the families decided to fill the caskets with pictures and sentimental things. It was a very sorrowful funeral. Altair slowly came up next to his cousin and sat down. They were silent for many minutes.

The older man was surprised when Connor spoke for the first time in a week. "Am I going to an orphanage?"

"No."

"Oh…" Connor picked at the grass, not daring to look up. "Where will I live now?"

"With my brothers and I," Altair responded quietly. "Last year, you're parents asked me if I would become your guardian if anything happened to them. I said yes."

"Guardian?"

"I become sort of like your dad."

Connor finally looked up at his older cousin. "Do I have to call you _dad_?"

While his heart dropped, Altair shook his head quickly. "No, of course not. I could never your dad."

Silence fell over them again. A bird landed on the ground a few feet away. It picked at the dirt a few times and then flew off when another bird passed by overhead. An older gentleman was setting a bouquet of red roses on a grave in the plot across the one-way road.

"I… I miss them."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Connor sniffled and tried to wipe his eyes discreetly. "Wh-Why did it have to happen to them? What am I supposed to do without my parents?"

There were images of times before the accident that claimed Umar Ibn-La'Ahad and his wife. Some were of before Desmond was even born.

"The pain of losing your parents will never go away, but it will get better over time," Altair answered honestly. More images of his parents' funeral were running through his mind. He knew it would do the kid a lot of good to hear the truth even if it did not make him feel any better.

"You just… have to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward."

When Connor started sobbing loudly, Altair drew the boy into a hug. It was like a flood gate had been opened. Connor let out all of the emotions held in for a week. He latched on to the older man, burying his face in his chest. It broke Altair's heart listening to his cousin wail and sob so pitifully. He did not know what do to except provide what little comfort he could. In fact, just being there for Connor was all he could ever do.

The road ahead was going to be very rough; that was a given. However, as long as they stayed together as a family any obstacle placed in their path could be overcome.


	5. 1 800 Malik

Ehh... Sorry for the late update. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things at the moment.

So here is a lazy, short and sweet drabble.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Hello?"

"Altair."

"Malik? What do you want?"

"Don't snap at me, moron. What crawled up your ass and died?"

"Shut up… Desmond was up all night with a stomach ache."

"Oh."

"Yeah _'oh'_. Why are you calling me while you're on vacation?"

"Mom wants an update on Connor."

"He's… Well, he's not doing so well."

"It's been two months and there has been no change at all?"

"No."

"Well, people deal with grief differently. We have no right to just expect him to feel better so quick."

"I think this is permanent though."

"How so?"

"He's becoming more like my dad."

"What?"

"Hang on. I'm going out onto the balcony… The kid doesn't want to do _kid_ stuff anymore. No playing outside and no videogames. He's started acting like a parent to Ezio and Desmond. I swear, Malik, Ezio was going to play a prank on me the other day and Connor gave him the exact look my dad had to make him stop."

"You mean _the _look?"

"Yeah and he wants me to train him to free-run like us. I told him no, but I caught him scaling the apartment building wall a week ago. He is definitely a natural."

"Why would he want to learn how to free-run?"

"I don't know. He won't tell me."

"That's crazy."

"Yeah."

"What does Ezio think?"

"Ezio is confused and angry, but he won't say anything for fear of losing his friendship. That's what he told me. Connor is definitely not the kid he was before. I don't know what to do to help. He won't speak unless he absolutely has to and I can't get him to sit down and talk with me. It's like my dad in kid form."

"You should take him to a psychiatrist."

"What if he doesn't like it? What if he starts hating me and my brothers for doing that to him?"

"Then you will have to work with the psychiatrist to get through that."

"I can't afford a psych doctor."

"You can afford it. I know you have some money lying around. Just work it into your budget."

"…"

"Altair, you're my friend and brother, but you're an idiot sometimes. That kid needs help. He needs someone to talk-"

"He can talk to me."

"And has he done that in the past two months?"

"…"

"Exactly; He needs to talk to someone with whom he has no relationship with."

"Alright, I'll look for someone tomorrow."

"Good. Now I have to go. Kadar wants to spy on girls at the beach."

"Is this the part where we make kissy noises and I beg you to come home soon because I miss you and I want to make sweet lo-"

/click/

"Malik?... Heh. Love you too."


	6. A Day at the Park

For it being a Wednesday afternoon, the park was surprisingly full of people. It actually took Altair a few minutes to find a parking spot. He figured parents were spending as much time with their kids as possible before school started the following week. He understood. That was why he had taken his brothers there.

The entire play area was crawling with screaming children. Of course Ezio and Kadar were two of those monsters. In just a span of thirty minutes, they had climbed all over the jungle jim; rough housed in the sand box like a couple of sumo wrestlers, and even the picnic tables were not safe from their explorations. They ran over the tops and did back flips off of the edges. Many of the families in the surrounding area had relocated to calmer places because of the raging hurricanes.

"Higher! Higher!"

Altair grabbed the swing chains to lift Desmond above his head and let go. The toddler shrieked with obvious glee as he swung. He kicked his feet back and forth in an attempt to gain some momentum. His older brother continued to push him to keep him happy.

"So did you pick up any girls on vacation?" Altair asked nonchalantly.

"Of course I did." Malik rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "We were at the beach the entire time."

"Well how far did you get?"

Malik only grinned wickedly in reply.

"No way," Altair stated, pushing his brother higher as requested. "There is no way in hell you got laid."

"You calling me a liar?"

"No, I'm calling you Robert de Sable."

Altair dodged the other's fist and stepped around so he was standing in front of Desmond. The toddler was not happy at the realization that he was no longer being pushed. He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted his best pout.

"Swing!" Desmond kicked his legs to emphasize his point.

"Altair!"

It was a hard decision to make, but the older Ibn-La'Ahad sibling turned to see why his name was being yelled. Desmond protested instantly. His pout deepened considerably and a scream had started up his throat. Malik came to the rescue since he saw the incoming tantrum. He started pushing the swing and Desmond returned to his happy place as quickly as he left it. Coming towards the swing set was Kadar. He had a suspicious grin on his lips when he slapped Altair on the shoulder.

"You should be a proud big brother," Kadar said. "Ezio just got his first girlfriend."

Malik started laughing. "His charms finally paid off! Who's the lucky girl?"

Kadar pointed at the picnic area. Ezio and his girlfriend were sitting side-by-side on one of the picnic tables. It was not very clear what the girl looked like, since the two were so far away, but they could see that the girl had long brown hair. Ezio whispered something into her ear and she turned away to giggle shyly.

"They grow up so fast," Malik cooed, stepping next to Altair.

"Yeah and soon you'll have to teach the kid about the birds and bees." Kadar placed his hands on his hips and smiled.

"Please don't remind me. That is going to be the most awkward conversation of my life."

"No the most awkward conversation you'll have is when one or both of your brothers walk in on you getting laid – oh I'm sorry! I forgot you don't have a girlfriend." Malik pet his friend on the shoulder.

Kadar snickered. "You'll find her someday… maybe."

"Shut up. So how did he worm his way into her heart?"

"Some kid named Duccio was trying to flirt with her; if you could even call it flirting. He tried the whole suave Casanova thing, but she completely shut him down," Kadar replied excitedly. "She told him to go away, but he wouldn't listen. Ezio overheard and went to her rescue. I thought Duccio was going to piss his pants right there when Ezio threatened to punch him!"

Altair cracked a smile at Malik. "I've taught my brother well," he said and Malik nodded in agreement.

The girl suddenly jumped down from the picnic table and then ran off towards a woman after saying something to Ezio. She waved back at her boyfriend as she and the woman, presumably her mother, walked away. Ezio waved back eagerly and then ran to the swing set to join everyone else. He took a seat on the swing next to Desmond.

After sharing a sly look with Malik, Altair asked, "So, Ezio, what's her name?"

"Who?" Ezio questioned in a panic. All of the blood drained from his tan face in a matter of seconds.

"That girl you were just with over by the picnic tables."

"Christina." The boy's cheeks started turning red with an adorable blush.

"And she's your girlfriend?"

"No!" Ezio exclaimed loudly and glared at his brother. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Not from what we could see."

"You-You could see?"

"You were holding hands with her."

The blush deepened considerably most likely from getting more embarrassed and angry. Ezio crossed his arms over his chest. "Christina was holding my hand because she was scared. Duccio was being a jerk to her and scaring her with his ugly face!" He repeated adamantly, "And she's NOT my girlfriend!"

"Alright. Alright." Altair raised his hands in the air. "She's not your girlfriend."

"We were just interested in what was happening," Malik added with a chuckle.

Ezio sent them a disbelieving look, but seemed to accept what they were saying. "I'm bored," he muttered in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"You're bored at a park?" When Ezio nodded, Altair sighed heavily.

"Connor isn't here! So who am I supposed to play with besides Kadar?"

"Speaking of which," Malik interjected. "Where is your cousin anyway?"

"Visiting his dad's sister for the weekend before school starts next week." The older Ibn-La'Ahad sibling lifted Desmond out of the swing. "Why don't we go for a walk? The park just finished that new trail."

"Walk! Yey!" Desmond threw his arms in the air and then pulled them back down when Altair tickled his belly.

"Sure. Why not? Kadar you're coming too."

Kadar, who had been not so subtly staring at two girls walking by, snapped to attention and turned to face his brother. "What? But why?" he whined pitifully.

"You need the exercise."

"Come on, Kadar!" Ezio yanked on the taller's arm. "I'll race you!"

He took off towards the beginning of the trail. Kadar sighed heavily at his older brother, but ran off after Ezio anyway. The park was about five or six square miles of land. One portion had the lake, park services buildings, picnic areas and the play area. The rest was all forest and fields. This area was used mostly for jogging and nature walks. There were no paved paths; it was either grass or dirt, but the paths were clearly marked so no one could get lost.

"Walk between us, Des," Altair said as he set the boy on the ground.

Desmond did as he was told, but he also grabbed Malik and Altair's hands. It was a something that he had done since he was able to walk. He always had to be in physical contact with someone; whether by holding a hand or pant-leg or even being held by someone. It did not matter. Altair did not mind because it meant that he knew where his brother was almost at all times.

"Swing!" Desmond demanded with a giggle.

Altair and Malik together lifted the boy into the air and swung him while they walked. As soon as Desmond's feet touched the ground, they lifted him again and swung him with the momentum of their walking.

"We'll have to switch arms soon," Malik commented. "I don't want my left arm to be more muscular than the other."

"We could toss him back and forth like a ball. That'd be great exercise."

"You're such a wonderful big brother."

They had left behind the hustle and bustle of the play area and entered the wooded part of the park. It was definitely a relaxing walk. Kadar and Ezio had disappeared into the undergrowth as soon as they entered the woods, but they could be heard crashing through the bushes. They were apparently pretending to be assassins.

"I got you with a poison dart!" Ezio yelled in triumph.

"Yes, but I just threw a knife and it got you in the leg!"

Ezio suddenly crashed through a bush and landed right in the middle of the pathway. He was holding his right leg and moaning as pathetically as possible.

"Ezi hurt?" Desmond questioned.

"No, Des," Altair assured him. "Ezio is just playing."

"Help! The enemy got me, Altair!"

"An assassin usually works alone on a mission. There is nothing I can do to help."

The ten year old broke his wounded façade to put on a pout. "You're a meanie! Malik, will you help a fallen assassin?"

As they passed, Malik said over his shoulder: "I have to deal with Altair when he gets hurt while free running. I don't want to take care of two of you."

"You're both- ahh!"

Kadar had launched out of the bush and landed on top of the poor kid.

"Kadar uses heal! It's super effective!"

"No one plays that card game anymore." Ezio tried to kick the other off. "It's so stupid."

The younger Al-Sayf sibling snorted at that. "Says the boy who plays the dance game every time we go to the arcade," he countered quickly.

"Hey! That game takes speed and skill!"

"Wait." Kadar cast his gaze around them. "Do you hear that?"

He rolled off of Ezio and stood up. Both of them fell silent, ears trained to hear anything.

A whistle pierced through the natural noise of the forest. It started out high then quickly fell to a lower pitch. Ezio perked up at the sound and he too stood on his feet. He returned the call with one of his own. His whistle was the opposite; it started out low and rose to a higher pitch. Kadar sent the younger a confused expression.

"What? Why answer that?" he asked.

"It's Altair," Ezio replied. He started running down the path. "He's trying to get our attention."

"Why?"

"I dunno! C'mon!"

They ran for almost half a mile. The trees became few and far between, eventually ending completely. Fields as far as the eye could see lay spread out before them. The pathway, now made of grass, cut directly through the fields. There was one tree where the grass path began and this was where Altair, Malik and Desmond were standing. Kadar and Ezio did not stop running until they reached the others.

"What's up?" Kadar looked between the older men.

"We got tired of waiting," Altair replied.

"So nothing is wrong?" It seemed to astonish the middle Ibn-La'Ahad sibling that this was the case. He pointed an accusing finger at Altair. "You said the whistle could only be used in emergencies."

"Getting separated from each other definitely calls for the whistle."

"Alright. Alright." Malik began walking backwards. "Let's keep going."

The others caught up to him and they continued on. They decided to take the shorter loop. It would take another twenty minutes to half an hour to get back to the cars, but it was a lot better than a two hour walk. Neither Altair nor Malik wished to deal with incessant whining.

"When do you think they'll set the grass on fire? It's getting really tall," Malik noted to fill the silence.

Altair shrugged. "I dunno; maybe towards the end of September when it's not so dry."

"Look! I'm a shark!"

The older men looked to their left and could barely see Ezio moving through the tall grass. They could clearly see his hands sticking up like the dorsal fin of a shark. He weaved back and forth through the grass, humming the theme song to Jaws loudly.

"Dundundundundundundundundun!" Ezio jumped out of the grass and screamed, "Roar!"

Desmond shrieked in surprise, but Altair did not even flinch. Ezio was definitely not the scary type. No matter what he did, he could not get the drop on Altair. The young Ibn-La'Ahad had tried every trick in the book and on the internet. He hid in closets, behind the shower curtain and underneath his brother's bed. He borrowed a stinky mask from one of his friends, but that only made Altair mad because it scared Desmond. His last resort was to get Altair watch a scary movie. That of course ended with Ezio sleeping in the master bedroom with his brothers.

"Fish out of water!" Kadar was hiding somewhere in the grass to their right.

"Really, Kadar?" Rolling his eyes, Malik cast his gaze over the grass, trying to spot his brother.

"Marco!" Without hesitation, Ezio dove into the tall grass and disappeared from sight.

"Polo!"

Of all the games they could possibly play, they choose a game for the pool. They could have played tag or discovered the local wildlife or even explored the area for interesting things. Even walking calmly with the others would have been more believable.

For the rest of the walk, they played the game. It became apparent very quickly what the rules were. If you left the grass, you were a fish out of water. You could not stand up straight because then you could be seen. When the Marco catches the Polo, the roles are switched and the new Marco has to count to thirty before starting his search. Altair's only rule was that they stay within eyesight of the path.

By the time they made it to the end of the trail, Ezio had won with a seventeen to fifteen score. He had caught Kadar trying to cross the path several times and was much better at moving through the grass quietly. Kadar was also very good at the game, but when he moved it sounded like a bull in a china shop. He could hardly sneak up on the kid. All he could do was get an idea of where Ezio was and then sprint in that general direction.

"I can't believe you won! You must have cheated, you little runt!"

"Hey. I'm not the one who stinks at being sneaky."

"Shut up."

Altair shifted a sleeping Desmond in his arms so he could get the car door open. The toddler had fallen asleep just a few minutes before they came off of the trail. He would sleep for a few hours and Altair was so happy about that. He had come to really appreciate peace and quiet. After getting Desmond situated in the car seat, he turned to face the others.

"We're grilling out at our house," Malik said, pulling out his keys. "Mom said you guys can come over for lunch."

"Sure. I've got nothing going on for the rest of today. We'll meet you there."

The older Ibn-La'Ahad cocked his head to the side so he could get a better look at what his other brother was doing. Ezio was trying to wrestle Kadar to the ground and being very unsuccessful at it. Kadar grabbed Ezio by the back of his pants and tried to pull him back.

"Break it up, you two! We're going back to our house for food." Malik slapped his brother upside the head to get his attention.

"But he deserves to be punished for cheating! He admitted it!"

"You can fight once we get to our house. At least it will be refereed by a sensible person.

"Mom?" Kadar questioned with a grin.

"Yes. Now let's go."

Kadar pushed Ezio away and made a run for the car. The ten year old wanted to go after him, but stopped when Altair called his name. He put on his best pout like Desmond was prone to do and climbed into the car. To have the match postponed was not the greatest decision ever, but it gave Ezio time to plan how he would take down the teenager.

By the time they made it to the Al-Sayf house, Altair had determined that his brother was an impeccable strategist.


	7. Merry Christmas

So hopefully this chapter isn't all over the place as much as I think it is. Haha Anyways, please enjoy!

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It was nearing ten-thirty at night when Altair decided it was time for bed. The Christmas movie they were watching was almost over. Ezio and Connor were lying on a large comforter on the floor in front of the television. Their cousin had already fallen asleep, but Ezio seemed to be wide awake. It would take some work to get him to go to bed. Altair was sitting on his dad's arm chair with his feet up and Desmond lying back against his chest like usual. The two year old was trying valiantly to stay awake, but he was starting to nod off.

The family had been all over the place that day. They went shopping for a few extra presents and then to the grocery. It was tradition to have Christmas Day dinner with Malik's family. Altair could remember being with his best friend's family during Christmas as a kid. Every year they switched off on whose home dinner would be held at. This year the dinner was at the Al-Sayf's.

Since Altair was not the best of cooks he was put in charge of making the dessert. He decided to make one of his mother's favorite dishes: Harisi. All of the ingredients had been bought that day and now he only had to find the recipe card. It was most likely hiding in one of the kitchen drawers.

When the credits started to roll, the oldest sibling immediately put down the armchair's feet rest and stood up with Desmond in his arms. "It's time for bed," he announced.

Desmond whined quietly while Ezio groaned.

"Can't we stay up a little while longer?" Ezio begged, getting up on his knees. "Just fifteen more minutes?"

"No."

"But why?"

Altair turned off the television and threw the changer back onto his chair. "Because Santa will be here soon. He won't stop by if you're still awake."

The middle sibling opened his mouth as if to say something, but then clamped it shut. He got up and then went off to the restroom. Altair watched him leave. He had a nervous feeling that Ezio was starting to question whether or not Santa was real. The ten year old was asking questions like 'how does Santa get into apartments like ours?' and 'is it really possible for elves to make so many toys in one year?'. None of Altair's answers seemed to satisfy him. He had not come right out with the question, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. Ezio was smarter and cleverer than most people gave him credit for.

"A'tair?"

"Yeah, bud?"

Desmond pointed at Norman, their Elf on the Shelf, who was sitting back in his place on the bookshelf. "Will No'man go home tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah, he has to go tell Santa what good boys you have been today. Then he will get to rest and see his family and friends. I'm pretty sure he'll come back next Christmas."

Norman had been in the family since Altair was a little kid. The threat of the elf telling Santa about all of his bad deeds kept Altair mostly in line. It was now doing the same for his brothers and cousin. Every night, after the boys were asleep, Altair would move Norman to a random place in the apartment. Norman was also very mischievous elf.

One morning, Ezio found Norman fishing in the toilet. His fishing rod was made out of a pencil with a shoe lace from Desmond's sneaker tied to it. Another morning, Connor was the first of the boys to wake up. When he went into the kitchen, he found Norman with a pad of paper and a pencil. There was a naughty and nice list written on the paper. On the nice list was his, Ezio and Desmond's names and on the naughty list were Altair and Malik. The boys got a kick out of telling Malik that he was on the naughty list. Then three days before Christmas, Malik and Kadar came over for a videogame and movie night. They ended up staying over since it had started to snow. During the night, Norman threw all kinds of candy all over Kadar who had slept on the floor. They found the elf sitting on Malik's lap with a few empty wrappers sitting around him.

The boys were so excited to get up every morning and search for Norman. Altair felt proud of himself for thinking up new mischievous things that the elf could be doing. He liked to see the smiles on his brothers' and cousin's faces when they finally found the elf. Seeing Connor starting to smile again warmed Altair's heart.

"Come on, bud. It's time for bed," Altair said when Desmond yawned again.

"Not sleepy," Desmond muttered, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his onesie.

Altair carried him into the bedroom and set him on the bed. After checking to make sure his pull-up was dry, Desmond was allowed to climb under the covers with his blanket.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," the older brother said. "I have to put Ezio and Connor to bed too."

"Okay!"

The light was on in the other bedroom when Altair stepped out into the small hallway. He stuck his head inside and found Ezio just starting to climb into bed.

"Are you all ready for tomorrow morning?"

"Yep."

"Ready for Santa?"

"Yep… Altair?"

"What?"

"Duccio said that Santa wasn't real. Is that true?"

Altair felt his heart sink into his stomach. This was definitely something he dreaded answering, but it was not the one he dreaded most. He sat on the edge of the bed and scratched the back of his neck nervously. He was trying to remember what their parents had told him.

"Well, what do you think?" he finally asked.

"Umm…" Ezio looked very unsure of himself as he put together his thoughts. "I do believe he's real, but I don't want to look dumb in front of my friends."

"Sometimes kids just stop believing for a lot of different reasons. You may not be able to see him, but that doesn't mean he's not around. Everybody has a little bit of Santa and Christmas spirit in them."

"Do you believe in Santa?"

"Yes, I always have."

"Really?" There was relief in Ezio's eyes.

"Yeah and don't let your friends intimidate you; especially Duccio. If you want to believe in Santa then go right ahead."

"Okay. Thank you, Altair." Ezio hugged his older brother tightly.

Altair hugged him back. "You're welcome," he said. "We'll talk more about this later. It's time for bed though."

"Is Connor sleeping in the living room tonight?" Ezio asked as he climbed under his covers.

"No. I'm going to get him now," Altair said and left the room.

Connor was curled up on the comforter. He looked very comfortable and the man hated to wake him up just to move him to the other room. It had to be done though. Their next door neighbor would be stopping by at eleven to drop off the last of the presents. The noise would probably wake up the kid.

"Come on, Connor. Let's get you to bed." Altair knelt down and pulled Connor up until he was sitting.

The boy yawned tiredly and then held out his arms. Chuckling, Altair picked him up easily. It was coming up on five months since the death of his parents. It had been a very bumpy road what with all of the psychologist visits, voluntary mutism, and depression. Seeing such a young boy go through so much was heartbreaking. However, it was getting better. In November it was decided that Connor would not have to visit the child psychologist unless Altair believed he really needed it. The boy was still very quiet, but he was starting to regain some parts of his old self.

Altair was also glad that the psychologist visits were over for another reason. It was getting very expensive to go every week. He worked for a hospital as a medical transcriptionist and made only fourteen dollars an hour. From nine in the morning to five at night, he listens to verbal dictations from medical staff and types them into reports or forms. He liked it mostly because he was able to work from home. There was no need to pay for a babysitter for Desmond and he also saved money on gas for the car.

Unfortunately, not much money came from the job, but it was enough for him to have some left over for extra spending. He put aside small portions of his paycheck every two weeks for months in order to have enough to get what the boys wanted. By the middle of December, Altair had finished all of the Christmas shopping. He was going to give two presents to each boy from himself and then three from Santa. The Al-Sayfs were also going to give each boy a present at dinner the next day.

"Is he here yet?" Connor asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

"No, but I think he's close."

Connor only nodded and laid his head against the man's shoulder. Ezio was buried deep in the cocoon made out of his superhero blankets. It would not have been surprising at all to find him asleep or half way there. Altair knelt down again so he could let Connor get on the air mattress. The makeshift bed was definitely not the most comfortable place to sleep. Sometimes Connor would sleep in the master bedroom or on the couch in the living room, but he never complained once.

"Good night, Connor," Altair said, ruffling the boy's dark hair gently. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Altair. I love you."

Those three little words made the older man stop from standing up and stare in shock. Connor had never, _ever_ spoken those words to anyone. For a moment, Altair believed that it was a mistake. He tried to justify it by saying that Connor was exhausted. They did in fact have a long day. Instead of voicing his concern though, Altair only replied "I love you too". Then he got up, said the same to Ezio and left the room. He did not have much time to ponder what had happened because there was a knock on apartment door.

Their neighbor, Giovanni Auditore, smiled brightly when Altair answered the door. In his hand he held a black garbage back filled with boxes.

"_Buona sera_, Altair!" Giovanni said, handing over the bag. "Are the little ones asleep?"

"I just got them to bed. Thank you for hiding these for me."

"Ah! It was no problem at all, _amico mio_. Maria and I are more than happy to help our neighbors. Well, you have a merry Christmas. Good night!"

"Good night and merry Christmas too."

Altair waved to his neighbor and then stepped back into the apartment in order to close the door. However, something caught his eye. Taped to the door was a red envelope. Altair pulled it off and then closed the door. There was nothing special about the envelope. It was plain and had nothing written on it. Shrugging, the man tossed it on the coffee table. He figured it was a late Christmas card from the apartment complex owners. No one hardly ever saw the couple who owned the apartments. They were very anti-social and only spoke to their tenants through notes taped on doors and email. It was really odd.

It took him a few minutes to pull out all of the presents from Santa and set them up under the tree. Then he went into the kitchen to throw away the bag. On the table a plate of cookies and a full glass of milk had been set up. Ezio even made a place card with 'For: Santa' written on it. Altair ate a few of the cookies, leaving a couple with huge bite marks on them. After sprinkling crumbs all over the plate and placemat, he ended up pouring the milk down the sink. It had gotten too warm for his liking.

The red envelope caught his eye again when he went back into the living room. Curiosity got the better of him so he opened it quickly. Inside was a Christmas card. On the front was a picture of decorated tree next to a fireplace. He opened the card and was surprised at what was written.

_Merry Christmas, Connor_

That was it. Nothing else was written in the card. There was no mention of Altair and his brothers or the name of the card giver. Concern was nagging at the back of his mind. Who would send a card to only Connor and not give any indication as to who he or she was? Altair decided to put off thinking about who the sender was until after Christmas. There were more important things to worry and be happy about. Still, he checked the locks on the front and balcony doors before going into his bedroom.

Altair hid the mysterious card in his nightstand and then turned to get into bed. However, there was a small problem as Desmond was fast asleep on his side. As gently as he could, Altair lifted his brother into his arms and sat on the bed. He winced when Desmond started squirming in his sleep, but then the boy relaxed when they were both lying down and under the covers.

The mystery card still bounced around in his mind, but Altair was thinking more about what tomorrow would hold for them. It was definitely going to be a great Christmas for the entire family and the man felt so happy at being able to provide his brothers and cousin with a wonderful childhood. He had a feeling his parents were proud of their sons. Altair smiled and then closed his eyes.

* * *

I hope everyone had a very wonderful Christmas!

**Update 2/1/2013:** I am putting this on hiatus for a little while. It is not an indefinite thing so don't worry. I just need to figure out where I want to go with the plot. Sorry, loves!


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